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Alliance To Save Energy Announces Six “Stars Of Energy Efficiency” Award Recipients For 2017
The 2017 Stars of Energy Efficiency awards, honoring the top energy efficiency innovators, will be presented to American Water, the Chevrolet Bolt EV, Itron, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Schneider Electric and 7-Eleven, the Alliance to Save Energy (Alliance) announced today. The awards will be conferred before nearly 400 leaders from industry, government and the non-profit sectors at the 25th annual Evening with the Stars of Energy Efficiency Awards Dinner on September 14 in Washington, D.C.
More than 40 Events Planned Across the Country to Demand Greater Investments in Affordable...
Thousands of advocates, organizations, and elected officials in more than 30 cities across the country will join the Our Homes, Our Voices National Housing Week of Action, July 22 to 29, led by the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF), to call for increased federal investments in affordable housing and community development.
EPA WATERS Award Lauds Innovative and Effective Regional Drinking Water Improvements
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 recently honored four Pacific Northwest communities for excellence in providing safe drinking water to the public by using the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program. The communities of Stevens County (Mission Ridge), WA, and Ashland, Baker City and Garibaldi, OR received this recognition after being nominated by their respective states.
NAHB and House Panel Reach Agreement on Flood Insurance Bill
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) today reached an agreement with leaders of the House Financial Services Committee to craft a viable, long-term flood insurance reauthorization bill that will keep the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) fiscally sound and enable home builders to provide safe and affordable housing to consumers.
Remodeling Market Indicator Remains in Positive Territory
The National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Remodeling Market Index (RMI) posted a reading of 55 in the second quarter of 2017, down three points from the first quarter of 2017. For 17 consecutive quarters, the RMI has been at or above 50, which indicates that more remodelers report market activity is higher (compared to the prior quarter) than report it is lower. The overall RMI averages ratings of current remodeling activity with indicators of future remodeling activity.
Guide Identifies State-by-State Opportunities, Barriers to Assisting Low-Income Water Customers
To assist low-income households in the U.S. with rising water and wastewater rates, seven leading water associations issued a guide that assesses the feasibility of rate-funded customer assistance programs (CAPs) in each state.
WSSC Commissioners Approve $7 Million to Improve Water Infrastructure
WSSC commissioners today approved two construction contracts totaling $7 million to improve drinking water infrastructure in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. These contracts underscore WSSC’s clean water mission by replacing aging water mains in the Beltsville area of Prince George’s County and installing a new elevated water storage tank in the Clarksburg area of Montgomery County.
DCHFA Introduces Multi-Family Online Application
The District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA) takes its multifamily financing process completely online with the launch of the new Multi-Family Lending Application. “We developed this application to make it easier for developers to do business with the Agency to increase the production of affordable housing in the District of Columbia,” stated Todd A. Lee, Executive Director of DCHFA, “This is the first in a series of innovations in affordable housing finance that the Agency will deliver over the next 12 months.
Department of Energy Provides $40 Million for 4 DOE Bioenergy Research Centers
U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry today announced $40 million in Department of Energy awards for the establishment of four DOE Bioenergy Research Centers (BRCs), which will provide the scientific breakthroughs for a new generation of sustainable, cost-effective bioproducts and bioenergy.
EPA Selects Biddeford, Maine Project to Apply for Low-Cost Water Infrastructure Loan
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is inviting Maine Water Company in Biddeford, Maine to apply for a Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan
HUD AND CENSUS BUREAU REPORT NEW RESIDENTIAL SALES IN JUNE 2017
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau jointly announced the following new residential construction statistics for June 2017.
ABC Announces Hire of Stephen Wiltshire as Safety Director
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today announced that veteran construction safety expert Stephen M. Wiltshire has joined its 70-person staff as director of safety.
Share Interior Announces $13.3 Million for Improvements to Local Parks and Recreation in 22...
The U.S. Department of the Interior and the National Park Service announced today $13.3 million through the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program to assist 22 cities in 17 states with projects to plan, build, and enhance parks and other outdoor recreation facilities in underserved communities.
Committee Reviews U.S. Energy and Resource Security
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today chaired a hearing held by the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources to examine the status of U.S. and North American energy and resource security. The hearing examined everything from the significant benefits that have resulted from the elimination of the domestic ban on crude oil exports in December 2015 to the need to maintain U.S. nuclear leadership and improve our waning mineral security.
Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey
Mortgage applications increased 6.3 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending July 14, 2017. Last week's results included an adjustment for the Fourth of July holiday.
King County qualifies for $129 million from innovative EPA infrastructure loan for Georgetown wet...
Washington’s King County is one of only 12 communities nationwide selected for the first round of funding under a new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency loan aimed at helping spark investment in critical infrastructure projects across the country.
Apartment Markets Decline Slightly in the July NMHC Quarterly Survey
All four indexes of the National Multifamily Housing Council’s (NMHC) July Quarterly Survey of Apartment Market Conditions remained slightly below the breakeven level of 50, the fourth consecutive quarter indicating softening conditions. The Market Tightness (43), Sales Volume (47), Equity Financing (46), and Debt Financing (47) Indexes all improved from April, but still hovered just below 50
Single-Family Housing Starts Bounce Back in June
Nationwide housing starts rose 8.3 percent in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.22 million units, according to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Commerce Department. Single-family production increased 6.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 849,000 units from a below-trend May reading of 799,000, while multifamily starts rose 13.3 percent to 366,000. Single-family production was at its second-highest rate this year.
EPA Partners with North Carolina to Protect Drinking Water
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded $3,042,000 to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) to implement and enforce the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act. The award was made under the Public Water System Supervision program and will go toward NCDEQ’s oversight of the 5,677 public water systems serving approximately nine million people.
Builder Confidence Slips Two Points in July, Remains Solid
Builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes slipped two points in July to a level of 64 from a downwardly revised June reading on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). It is the lowest reading since November 2016
June New Home Purchase Mortgage Applications Increased 10 Percent Year over Year
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Builder Application Survey (BAS) data for June 2017 shows mortgage applications for new home purchases increased 10 percent compared to June 2016. Compared to May 2017, applications decreased by 4 percent. This change does not include any adjustment for typical seasonal patterns
NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR CREDIT COUNSELING AND FRAMEWORK PARTNERSHIP MERGES INNOVATIVE HOMEBUYER EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY AND...
The National Foundation for Credit Counseling® (NFCC®) represents the largest network of non-profit HUD-approved counseling agencies, providing a broad range of counseling and education services to support the needs of current and potential homeowners. Since first becoming a HUD-approved Intermediary more than two decades ago, the NFCC has continued to evolve the channels and methods through which it supports sustainable home ownership.
Foreign U.S. Home Sales Dollar Volume Surges 49 Percent to Record $153 Billion
Fueled by a substantial increase in sales dollar volume from Canadian buyers, foreign investment in U.S. residential real estate skyrocketed to a new high, as transactions grew in each of the top five countries where buyers originated.
House Appropriations Bill Would Slash ENERGY STAR Program
The Alliance to Save Energy released the following statement from President Kateri Callahan regarding a House Appropriations bill report to be taken up Tuesday that would slash the budget for the ENERGY STAR program by approximately 40 percent
GSA Awards 27 Small Businesses Building Maintenance and Operations Phase II Contracts
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has awarded 27 new contracts to small businesses for its Phase II Building Maintenance and Operations (BMO) Best-in-Class (BIC) strategic sourcing solution. This multiple award solution gives government agencies a more streamlined process for acquiring facility maintenance and operations services, including electrical maintenance, janitorial, landscaping, fire alarm and suppression system maintenance, commissioning and more
HUD MAKES $2 BILLION AVAILABLE TO LOCAL HOMELESS PROGRAMS
In an effort to prevent and effectively end homelessness, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is making $2 billion available to support thousands of local homeless assistance programs nationwide. Funded through the Continuum of Care (CoC) Homeless Assistance Program, HUD’s funding notice continues to encourage local applicants to use a Housing First approach to help individuals and families move quickly into permanent housing
Charles River Water Quality Earns a “B” Grade in 2016
EPA has given a grade of "B" for water quality in the Charles River during 2016. This is a slight reduction from the "B+" grade awarded for water quality in the Charles during 2015.
Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey
Mortgage applications decreased 7.4 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending July 7, 2017. This week's results include an adjustment for the Fourth of July holiday.
VA Honors Outstanding Achievements in Support of Homeless Veterans Programs
During several award ceremonies across the country in July, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will honor exemplary facilities, employees and civilian providers working to address Veteran homelessness.
T-HUD Threatens Highway Safety by Adding Special Interest Provisions in Funding Bill
The Teamsters Union denounced the House Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (T-HUD) Appropriations Subcommittee’s attack on highway safety and infrastructure investment during its mark-up of the 2018 funding proposal. While eliminating important funding for infrastructure improvement, the subcommittee compromised the very highway safety programs the bill funds by inserting provisions that would increase driver fatigue, if enacted
